In a long and sometimes turbid meeting, City Council tonight discussed a (perhaps?) final round of amendments to the Downtown Master Plan. A main point of contention was the possible removal of language setting a Character Area Designation, would requires development to meet specifications based on the character of the area surrounding the development. In a stirring moment of clarity, City Council 2nd District Representative Charles Samuels spoke up for the Character Area Designation, which was then saved by one vote.

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A special meeting of City Council’s Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Standing Committee has been scheduled to discuss the Downtown Master Plan. The meeting will be held at 3:PM on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 in City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall (900 E. Broad Street). An opportunity for comments from members of the public will be provided at the meeting.
A public hearing on the Downtown Master Plan (Ordinance No. 2008-208) will be held during the City Council meeting on Monday, October 13, 2008.

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The City of Richmond Planning Commission will discuss further revisions to and consider adoption of the June 2008 Draft Downtown Master Plan on Monday, July 21. The meeting is open to the public, but there will not be a public hearing. The discussion on the Downtown Master Plan will be held at the end of the regular meeting agenda and will begin no earlier than 6PM. The meeting will be held in the fifth floor conference room of City Hall.

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The Richmond Voice, going out into the neighborhood, has found black business owners in the Jackson Ward area are generally supportive of the Downtown Plan so far. The article quotes one anonymous business owner saying that he did not find anything controversial in the plan and that is the reason for him not attending the meetings, another says “it will be great”, and a third says “it’s well deserved and I hope that all taxpayers in the city will be able to take advantage of it”.

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The City of Richmond Planning Commission will hold what may be the last public hearing on the June 2008 Revised Draft Downtown Master Plan TONIGHT, July 7 @6:30PM on the 5th floor conference room in city hall. John Sarvay over at Buttermilk&Molasses has a timely update and recap on the Richmond Downtown Master Plan.

The City of Richmond Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Monday, July 7 @6:30PM on the June 2008 Revised Draft Downtown Master Plan. The public is encouraged to attend the public hearing to share thoughts on the plan with the City Planning Commission.

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A public hearing on the Richmond Downtown Master Plan in front of the City Planning Commission has been announced for Monday, May 19th @1:30PM. The Commission will consider adoption of the plan and recommendation for approval to City Council; the public is encouraged to attend the meeting. (event flyer)

The 4th of 6 scheduled neighborhood-specific meetings on the Downtown Plan took place tonight at The Jackson Center Building (501 North 2nd Street). The 2-hour meeting included an overview of the process so far, the plan as it pertains to Broad Street and Jackson Ward, and a lively Q&A session.

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The fourth of the recently announced neighborhood-level Downtown Plan meetings is scheduled for Tuesday for Broad Street and Jackson Ward. The meeting will be at The Jackson Center Building/DHCD Board Room (501 North 2nd Street) from 6-8PM.

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Oregon Hill has coverage of last night’s Carver/Oregon Hill/Monroe Ward/VCU Downtown Plan meeting:

Carver neighborhood residents were interested in a couple of aspects. One resident thought Gilmore Street should be considered for two-way traffic. Many were surprised that more of Carver did not appear in the Downtown Master plan study, and wanted to see the whole neighborhood to come under consideration. They felt that streetscape improvements are badly needed there.

The second of the recently announced neighborhood-level Downtown Plan meetings is scheduled for Monday for the VCU, Monroe Ward, Oregon Hill, and Carver areas. The meeting will be at the William Byrd Community House (224 South Cherry Street) tonight from 6-8PM.

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The City of Richmond Planning Commission invites property owners and interested members of the public to continue the discussion on the Draft Downtown Master Plan at neighborhood-oriented meetings. There are 6 meetings scheduled for Manchester, VCU and Downtown Neighborhoods, Shockoe, Broad Street & Jackson Ward, James River, and City Center.

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